Folding-machine.



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ELMER D. WALLACE, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, TO ADAMS LETTER FOLDING MACHINE COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS,

A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

FOLDING-MACHINE Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 8, 1908.

Patented Nov. 30, 1909.

Serial No. 425,870.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ELMER I). VVALLACE, of Minneapolis, Ilenncpin county, Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Folding-Machines, of which the following is a s medication.

In machines used for fblding letters and circulars where the paper is fed over the surface of a table or deck to initial folding rollers, considerable difficulty has been experienced by reason of the fact that sheets of paper having curled edges frequently fail to move in proper alinement and either do not pass into the foldin mechanism at all or being caught by the initial folding roll ers ahead of time are fed into the mechanism prematurely.

The object therefore, of my invention is to obviate this difliculty and overcome all uncertainty in the feeding operation, compelling the paper to always move to a fixed point under conditions which will tend to direct it upward and guide it. accurately to its proper place in the machine regardless of whether the paper is straight or curled at the edges.

The invention consists generally in various constructions and combinations, all as hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a paper folding machine with my invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a sectional view illustrating the position of the operating mechanism. Fig. 3 is a detail end view showing the position of my invention with respect to the initial folding rollers. Fig. 4 is a top View of the mechanism shown in Fig. 3.

In the drawing, 2 represents a suitable frame having a table top or deck 3 supporting the paper carriage 4 in which the stack of paper 5 is arranged in a substantially vertical position with its lower edges in contact with the table top.

6 represents a feed roller having a driving connection with a driving shaft 7. A sprocket wheel 8 is mounted on said shaft and has a driving connection 9 with the initial folding rollers 10 and 11 and the secondary feed roller 12. A frame 13 is pivoted above the table and carries a knife 14 adapted to descend between the rollers 10 and 11.

15 is a finger arranged in the path of the moving sheet of paper and connected with a mechanism that is dropped by the movement of the finger and thrown into operation to cause the descent of the knife 14 between the initial folding rollers. This mechanism consists of a dog 16 pivoted on the frame 13 adapted to engage the teeth of a ratchet 17, a link 18 connecting said dog with an arm 19 on the. shaft. of the finger 15. Between the feed roller 6 and the initial folding roller 10 I provide a compression roller 20 mounted in arms 21 that are pivoted at 22 on the machine frame. This roller is adapted to con tact with the roller 10 and its center is a little in the rear of the center of the roller 10.

My object in arranging the compression roller in the rear of the center of the roller 10, is to cause the paper passing between them, to be directed upwardly and insure its contact with the guide plate on the delivery side of said rollers. \Vhen the paper strikes the forward guide, it will be directed thereby beneath the knife and each sheet of paper, whether its ed es are curled or not, will follow substantially the same path and a uniform accurate feed will be obtained. When the rollers are arranged directly over one another, the paper instead of moving directly ahead over the rollers and under the creasing knife, will often times curl up or down and thereby defeat the operation of the initial folding mechanism. I have found this arrangement of the compression roller with respect to the center of the feed roller, to be a very important feature of my machine.

A bar 23 connects the arms 21 and s ring arms 24 are mounted on said bar an are curved over the roller and have ends 25 which are near the table top and in position to guide the paper between the rollers 10 and 20, the ends 25 being preferably upwardly curved, as indicated in Fig. 2, to present a downwardly inclined surface to the edge of the moving paper. A series of guide plates 26 are mounted on the lower edge of the bar 23, the edges of said plates bein downwardly turned to engage the forwar edge of the paper as it passes from between the rollers 10 and 20 and direct it under the scoring knife in position to be struck thereby when it is desired to perform the initial foldin operation.

\Vili this device sheets of paper having curled or bent edges may be fed to the fold ing mechanism without danger of the sheets moving out of place or entering the folding mechanism prematurely.

I claim as my invention:

1. The combination, with a feed table and means for feeding sheets of paper thereon, of initial folding rollers arranged side by side in a horizontal plane, a scoring knife operating above said rollers. a compression roller arranged to contact with one of said folding rollers, arms mounted above said folding rollers and over-lmnging said comprcssion roller and depending to a point near said table and having upwardly inclined ends that are adapted to engage the forward edge of the paper and direct it downwardly under said compression roller.

2. The combination, with a feed table and means for feeding sheets of paper thereon, of initial folding rollers, a scoring knife op crating above the same, arms pivoted on said table, a transverse bar connecting said arms above said folding rollers, a col'npression roller mounted in said arms and adapted to bear on one of said folding rollers, plates mounted on said bar and extending over said compression roller and having upwardly turned ends in the path of the sheets of paper on the receiving side of said roller, and

guide plates secured to said bar and arranged to hold the sheets downward on the delivery side of said compression roller.

3. The combination, with a feed table and means for feeding sheets of paper thereon, of initial folding rollers mounted side by side on a level substantially with the top of said table, a knife suspended above said rollers and adapted to engage a sheet of paper and bend the same and force it down into said rollers, a compression roller mounted. above said table and adapted to bear on one of said folding rollers and in the rear of the axis thereof, said con'ipression roller and the folding roller in contact therewith serving to direct the forward ends of the sheets upwardly, and means on the discharge side of said compression roller and overhanging said folding roller for directing the end of the sheet downwardly and forwardly, said means including a transverse bar, and guide plates secured to said bar and projecting rearwardly over said roller.

l. The combination, with a feed table" and means for feeding sheets of paper thereon, of initial folding rollers arranged side by side in a horizontal plane below the top of said feed table, a scoring knife supported above said rollers and adapted to move down between the same, a compression roller arranged ahove and slightly in the rear of the center of one of said folding rollers and in contact therewith, a transverse bar on the delivery side of said compression roller, and guide plates carried by said bar and having do\vn\ *ardly turned edges adapted to engage the forward edge of the paper, substantially as described.

In Witness whereof 1 have hereunto set my hand this 4th day of April 1908.

ELMER D. WALLACE.

\Vitnesses RICHARD PAUL, J. A. BYINGTON. 

